


songs of faith & devotion

by icemachine



Category: Will & Grace
Genre: '98 singles tour, Author is mlm, Concerts, Depeche Mode Tours, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 07:04:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18047843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemachine/pseuds/icemachine
Summary: This is probably the worst possible place in the world to realize you’re in love with your best friend. That is: shoved up against him in a concert, where the lead singer has a honey-smooth voice and the music is pulsing and shaking the ground, vibrating your body through and through.Will has never suffered more.(Or: the most self indulgent thing I've ever written in mylife.)





	songs of faith & devotion

There’s always that admirable spring in his step when Jack stumbles through Will’s apartment, but this time Jack is holding two bright pink paper tickets between his fingers like they’re cigarettes, and Will is pretty sure he hasn’t seen Jack  _ this  _ energetic since the day he (presumably, hopefully) slept with Rudy Galindo.

 

“What is it, Jack?” he asks, putting on his best Fake Annoyance Facade. “What’s got you so excited? Or who, I guess I should ask, right?”

 

Jack scoffs in response. “Wow, okay, so I come in here to invite my very best friend to a concert and I get treated like this? Like… like some kind of… wanton  _ thing? _ If you don’t want to see Depeche Mode, that’s okay, I’ll just go.”

 

Jack begins his trek back to the door, sobbing his endearingly false tears, until he hears Will’s silent laugh, until he hears Will set his cup of coffee down on the table, until he hears Will sit down and pick up his newspaper, after which Jack recoils in  _ very endearingly real  _ shock.

 

“What?”

 

“I didn’t say anything.”

 

“Uh, yeah, that’s my  _ point.  _ Why aren’t you excited? Did I miss something?”

 

Will shrugs. It’s the most revolting action possible. “I’ve never heard of Depeche Mode.”

 

It’s a loud gasp. It’s a  _ deafening  _ gasp. It’s not a joke, it’s not in jest--Jack’s gasp sounds like a gasp that comes from a man who has just been stabbed no less than six times, and Will is starting to become genuinely worried for his friend’s mental stability. 

 

“Will, I’m taking back your gay card. Hand it over. It’s mine now.”

 

“What? It’s not that big of a deal, I’m just not into local bands.”

 

“Local bands?  _ Local bands?  _ I’m going to pass out. Depeche Mode is  _ not  _ a local band, okay? They’re from England, and - tell me you’ve never heard, what, I don’t know, uh, Personal Jesus?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Stripped?”

 

“I wish.”

 

“Oh. God. Not even Master and Servant?”

 

“Um, no, and judging from the song title you just mentioned I don’t think I’m interested. That’s not my thing. At least, I don’t think so. I’ve never—”

 

“Yeah, okay, well. You’re going anyway. You  _ need  _ this experience. It’ll change your life.”

 

“I’m really not interested,” Will says, but he’s already accepted his blatant defeat.

 

“Please please please  _ please?  _ I don’t have anyone else to go with and there’s no one I’d rather go with than you.”

 

“Yeah, right, and how many people cancelled on you?”

 

Jack sighs. “Four. But I promise, you’ll love it. Plus, I know which hotel they’re staying at, and I’m  _ really  _ interested in seeing if either Martin or Dave is gay. My gaydar for them?  _ Screaming.  _ Not sure about Fletch, which is weird. He’s an anomaly.”

 

“And how would you figure that out?”

 

“Haven’t you seen me? I’m irresistible,” Jack says, snapping a wink, and god, yeah, he really,  _ really  _ is.

 

For Jack, he’d do anything.

 

“Anyway, pick you up tomorrow, at eight. Wear leather.”

 

“But—”

 

“Bye.”

 

* * *

 

7:45 PM.

 

Will owns exactly two garments made of leather. He’s so fake.

 

Leather pants, which are tight in some very  _ interesting  _ places, and a leather jacket that he hasn’t worn in like six years. It’s uncomfortable, yet comfortable; Jack said  _ wear leather  _ and he’d do anything for Jack, we’ve established this, it’s not that Will likes Jack in That Way, ew, it’s just that Will would do anything for Jack, it’s not that he Likes Jack in any Way, there are no Ways, shut up. There’s a knock on the door. It saves Will’s life, saves his brain from the dark pit of whatever Feelings are.

 

Wait.

 

There’s a knock on the door.

 

It’s not a burst, throwing Jack right into his vicinity. It’s a mere knock. Something’s wrong.

 

“Jack?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, come in.”

 

There--oh,  _ there it is.  _ The burst. It’s  _ quite  _ a burst. Jack walks into his apartment, dressed in—

 

He’s wearing a mesh tank-top, his torso so  _ visible & _ there’s some kind of leather harness layered on top of it, making an X across his chest with an O ring in the middle. He’s also in leather pants, also tight. Will is feeling  _ very  _ tight.

 

No. No, he isn’t.

 

Fuck.

 

“Like it?” Jack asks, turning around to show himself off. “I’m channeling my inner Martin Gore.”

 

“Did you already… own this stuff?” Will asks, his jaw clenching so tightly that his teeth begin to ache. He’s never seen Jack like this before, he’s never seen Jack in this  _ way  _ before, and it feels like he’s being crushed by a cartoon piano, flattened on the spot.

 

“I’ll never tell.” Jack inhales. ‘God, this is all you have?”

 

“What, the outfit?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, unlike you, I don’t have a weird leather fetish.”

 

Jack laughs. “Yeah, right. See Dave Gahan in leather and you’ll change your mind right away.”

 

There’s a moment of uncomfortable silence, filled with Will trying to control himself and Jack trying to control himself and every attempt at control failing  _ miserably. _

 

Until Will coughs, says, “Let’s go,” and they single-file out of the door in silence. This is going to be a very interesting night. 

 

* * *

 

The seats are cramped together, Will’s body practically pressed against Jack’s, it’s  _ awful.  _ The room is hot and Will feels hot and Jack feels hot and it’s a very, very bad situation all around.

 

“Here,” Jack says, handing Will an envelope. “Take a look.”

 

“What are they?”

 

“You’ll see. Open it.”

 

Will sighs, opens the envelope; inside are several magazine clippings and glossy photos of four men in various shades of black clothing and multiple layers of leather. Four very attractive men dressed in leather.

 

One of them is blond and clad in bondage gear. In one photo, he’s wearing a crotch harness, which Will thinks is particularly funny, and in another he’s wearing the exact harness that Jack is wearing. If Will didn’t know any better, he’d guess that Jack stole it.

 

“I take it this one is Martin.”

 

“Oh, yeah, he’s my favorite.”

 

“I can see why.”

 

“Who are the others—”

 

Jack places a hand over his mouth. The lights begin to dim. “It’s starting,” Jack shushes, as Will eases into the touch, and when Jack pulls away Will feels dizzy.

 

The intro to the first song is beautiful, but the excited look in Jack’s eyes is the most beautiful essence in the room. He’s gripping Will’s arm, when the lead singer begins.

 

_ Let me take you on a trip _

_ Around the world and back _

_ And you won't have to move _

_ You just sit still _

_ Now let your mind do the walking _

_ And let my body do the talking _

_ Let me show you the world in my eyes _

_ I'll take you to the highest mountain _

_ To the depths of the deepest sea _

_ We won't need a map, believe me _

 

It’s soothing, in a sensual way. Will can understand why Jack likes it.

 

The downfall comes when  _ Never Let Me Down Again  _ begins and Will hears it:  _ I’m taking a ride with my best friend, we’re flying high, we’re watching the world pass us by, never want to come down, never want to put my feet back down on the ground… _

 

& Will thinks of his best friend. He thinks about Jack, and flying high, and  _ rides…  _

 

This is probably the worst possible place in the world to realize you’re in love with your best friend. That is: shoved up against him in a concert, where the lead singer has a honey-smooth voice and the music is pulsing and shaking the ground, vibrating your body through and through.

 

Will has never suffered more.

 

* * *

 

“That was awesome. Wasn’t that awesome, Will?” They’re walking back into Will’s apartment, and they’re both sweating and trembling from the experience and  _ God  _ it’s a picture-perfect moment that Will wishes he could capture in a polaroid, hang it in his mind forever, the light just perfectly illuminating Jack’s existence. 

 

“I have to admit, that was a good concert. I get it now.”

 

Jack’s jumping up and down, rambling off like a maniac. “What was your favorite song? What was your favorite part? How did you feel? Were the fans too loud?”

 

“Strangelove, the part where the lead singer kept feeling himself on stage, I’m in love with you, slightly uncomfortable, and they were  _ way  _ too loud but it was okay, I’m in love with you, I had a really good time.”

 

“Huh. My favorite song was world in my eyes, but I like all of them, and I  _ know right,  _ it’s kind of weird when Dave grabs his dick like that but it’s such a signature move that I don’t care, and… wait a second.”

 

Will looks at him.  He feels so guilty.

 

“Did you say…”

 

“Yeah, I did, I realized it when we were there and one of the songs was playing and—”

 

“---that you had a really good time? See, Will, I knew you would.”

 

“But did you hear—”

 

& Jack is grabbing him and  _ pulling him  _ forward, and Will’s hands are pushing into the black mesh pattern of Jack’s shirt & Jack’s kissing him, on the lips, in a  _ real  _ way & this is all  _ real  _ & Will’s taking a ride with his best friend & it’s real, they’re together, and he loves Jack. Okay.

 

“Yeah,” Jack whispers back, right against his ear, jaw, neck. “I did.”

 


End file.
